iOS

4,902 'iOS' stories August 2010 - April 2018

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The world’s most advanced mobile operating system

iOS is Apple’s mobile operating system that runs on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Historically, Apple releases a new iOS version once a year, the current version is iOS 13.

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone and iPhone OS. During the event, Jobs referred to the operating system as OS X because it shared a similar Unix core compared to the Mac. When Apple launched the iPhone SDK a year later, they officially changed the name to iPhone OS.

In the summer of 2008, Apple added the App Store to iPhone OS with version 2.0, and this set the stage for the “app economy” that we still enjoy to this day.

Version 3.0 was released in 2009, and it included copy/paste, MMS support, Spotlight, mobile tethering, and push notifications for 3rd party apps.

In version 4, Apple finally renamed iPhone OS to iOS (with the iPad sharing the same software). The major features were multitasking and FaceTime.

iOS 5.0 introduced Notification Center, iMessage, Siri, and iCloud.

iOS 6.0 removes Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps and added the Passbook app (now known as Wallet).

Version 7.0 brought a dramatic redesign of iOS with a new font, flatter icons, a and new Photos app. The redesign was led by Jony Ive.

Version iOS 8.0, Apple finally allowed third-party keyboards and the ability to share files from different apps.

Version 9.0 included Apple Maps, an overhauled Notes app, and multitasking for iPad.

Version 10.0 included an SDK for Siri, Maps, and iMessages.

Version 11.0 included a new iPad Dock, Customizable Control center, drag and drop on iPad, and the Files app with third-party integration.

Version 12.0 added Screen Time features for managing your time on devices, the Shortcuts app, ARKit 2.0, and Memoji.

iOS 13 added Dark Mode, swipe-style typing, a redesigned share sheet, made app downloads 50% smaller, 2x faster app launch speed, Memoji Stickers and Memoji Makeup, HomeKit-enabled routers and HomeKit Secure Video, a new “Sign in with Apple” option for logging into third-party services, all-new Apple Maps, and much more.

Compatible Devices with iOS 13

iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE
iPod touch (7th generation)

‘Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery’ hitting iOS this month, featuring voiceovers by original cast

Michael Potuck Apr 5 2018 - 8:18 am PT

We’re getting new details today for one of the two new Harry Potter iOS titles slated for this year. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will launch this month and will even include voiceovers from some of films’ original actors.

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Apple releases first iOS 11.4 + tvOS 11.4 public betas with AirPlay 2

Zac Hall Apr 3 2018 - 10:05 am PT

Following yesterday’s developer betas, Apple has seeded iOS 11.4 and tvOS 11.4 public betas. iOS 11.4 includes both AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud for testing, and tvOS 11.4 can be used for AirPlay 2 testing.

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First iOS 11.4 developer beta for iPhone and iPad coming today (U: Now available)

Zac Hall Apr 2 2018 - 9:14 am PT

Following the official release of iOS 11.3 to all customers on Thursday, Apple will release the first iOS 11.4 developer beta for iPhone and iPad today. The new beta version should be available on Apple’s Developer Center and over-the-air for devices with the beta profile installed near the top of the hour.

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How to check battery health and disable iPhone battery performance throttling in iOS 11.3

Benjamin Mayo Mar 30 2018 - 7:32 am PT

As promised, Apple has included a new section in Battery Settings to include information about Battery Health. Battery Health (Beta) is available in iOS 11.3 and later and displayed on all iPhone models since the iPhone 6. You can see the estimated battery capacity and the screen explains whether the battery can offer peak performance. iOS will now tell you in this screen if your device is being throttled due to a degraded battery.

When you update to iOS 11.3, the device will have performance management. The device will be throttled automatically when the system first experiences an unexpected shutdown. You can disable the slowdowns in the Battery Health screen if you want. Read everything about Battery Health after the jump …

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Fortnite releases major iOS update with guided missile, antialiasing, Party Text Chat, much more [Video]

Michael Potuck Mar 29 2018 - 11:32 am PT

Epic Games released a major update for its super popular iOS release of Fortnite. Along with the standard performance and bug fixes, the update brings new weapons and items, changes to gameplay, new features for mobile devices and more.

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iOS 11.3 with new Animoji, iPhone throttling controls, much more coming today (U: Now available)

Zac Hall Mar 29 2018 - 9:16 am PT

Apple is releasing iOS 11.3 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch today with the software update expected to be available at the top of the hour. While the update includes the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, iOS 11.3 is also a significant feature update as well.

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iOS
ARKit

ARKit app downloads said to hit 13M, dominated by games

Chance Miller Mar 28 2018 - 6:05 pm PT

Apple officially launched its new ARKit framework as part of iOS 11, allowing developers to build applications for iPhone and iPad based around augmented reality. Now that iOS 11 has been available for just over 6 months, app analytics firm SensorTower has some data on the popularity of ARKit applications…

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iOS 11.3 suggests new Pride face coming to Apple Watch

Guilherme Rambo Mar 28 2018 - 11:16 am PT

Apple just released a new build of iOS 11.3 for the new 9.7-inch iPad announced yesterday. This build looks like it’ll be the final or golden master version of iOS 11.3. As is usual with GM or final builds, Apple tends to keep some new features secret until then, redacting them from developer and public betas.

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Apple submits new accessibility emoji to Unicode Consortium, includes prosthetic limbs, guide dogs, more

Michael Potuck Mar 23 2018 - 10:29 am PT

Apple has today proposed a new set of emoji to the Unicode Consortium that focuses on accessibility. The new set includes at least nine new emoji.

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How to delete and restore iOS’ built-in apps on iPhone

Michael Potuck Mar 22 2018 - 3:12 pm PT

While iOS 10 brought the ability to more or less hide iOS’ built-in apps, you can actually delete them with iOS 11. Follow along below for how to delete and restore the default apps on iPhone.

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Here’s why Apple is primed to dominate mobile gaming, and big titles like Fortnite will come to iOS first

Michael Potuck Mar 21 2018 - 1:31 pm PT

Apple looks all set to dominate the mobile gaming market as more and more users are picking up their smartphones to play popular titles from developers that previously may have been reserved for consoles. Here’s why iOS has a big advantage over Android when it comes to gaming.

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Fortnite for iOS generated over $1M of in-app purchases during first 3 days on the App Store

Chance Miller Mar 19 2018 - 6:23 pm PT

Last week, Epic Games officially launched its popular Fortnite game on iPhone and iPad. While the game itself is free, there are a slew of in-app purchases available to users. New data from Sensor Tower indicates that Fortnite gamers spent over $1.5 million on those in-app purchases…

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Apple releases iOS 11.3 beta 6 for iPhone and iPad (U: Public beta too)

Zac Hall Mar 16 2018 - 9:59 am PT

That new iOS 11.3 beta from Monday? It’s already out of date. In a special Friday release, Apple has seeded iOS 11.3 beta 6 to registered developers to test on iPhone and iPad. We’ll dig in to the new version and detail any changes below. (Update: iOS 11.3 beta 6 is also now available for public beta testers too.)

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Android’s head of security claims platform now as secure as iOS – if not more so …

Ben Lovejoy Mar 15 2018 - 7:26 am PT

Android’s head of security has claimed that Google’s mobile operating system is now as secure as iOS – if not more so …

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Apple publishes new ‘Families’ webpage with parental control tips & tricks

Chance Miller Mar 14 2018 - 6:12 pm PT

Apple is facing increased pressure from investors to do more to curb technology addiction and to give parents more control over how their kids use Apple products. Seemingly in response to those concerns, Apple today has launched a new “Families” page on its website, outlining what parents can do to protect their kids’ use of technology…

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What are you most excited to see at WWDC 2018? [Poll]

Chance Miller Mar 13 2018 - 4:59 pm PT

Apple today officially announced dates for annual developer conference, WWDC 2018. This year, the event will run from June 4th through June 8th in San Jose, California at the McEnery Convention Center.

WWDC 2018 will mark the unveil of Apple’s latest software updates, as well as some potential hardware updates. What are you most excited to see at this year’s event?

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Clipboard manager app Paste 2, the ‘cloud clipboard time machine’ now available on iOS

Guilherme Rambo Mar 13 2018 - 8:19 am PT

I’ve been using Paste on my Mac for quite a while, it’s one of the apps from my Setapp subscription I learned to rely on. My work often involves copying and pasting stuff, be it text, code snippets, URLs and even images, so having a centralized place to store all of my clipboard history is a nice thing to have.

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iOS
iOS 11

PSA: iOS Markup is not designed to be a redaction tool for sensitive information

Benjamin Mayo Mar 13 2018 - 6:18 am PT

In iOS 11, Markup is a system-level feature able to annotate and draw shapes over images and PDFs. It lets you draw with a pen, a marker and some basic squares and circles over photos. Apple doesn’t really advertise Markup as a redaction feature, to cover up information, but it feels like it is up to the job and I’ve seen many people on social media use it to do just that.

However, you have to be careful as the Markup tools can be deceptive, particularly the marker. Even if it looks like the personal info is obscured, some basic photoshop work easily reveals what is underneath …

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iOS
iOS 11.3

Apple releases iOS 11.3 beta 5 for iPhone and iPad

Michael Potuck Mar 12 2018 - 10:00 am PT

[Update: Apple has also released the fifth iOS 11.3 public beta.]

One week after the fourth developer beta, Apple has released iOS 11.3 beta 5 for registered developers to test on iPhone and iPad. We’ll dig in to the new version and detail changes below.

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iOS

Fortnite Battle Royale coming to iOS with cross play support & more, sign-ups begin next week

Chance Miller Mar 8 2018 - 5:47 pm PT

The popular console and PC game Fortnite is coming to iOS. Epic Games announced today that it’s bringing the same game that users have grown to love on their other devices to both iPhone and iPad, starting next week…

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iOS
Android

Android tops iOS in loyalty survey, the fight forward will be over switchers

Michael Potuck Mar 8 2018 - 12:41 pm PT

CIRP is out today with new data on mobile operating system loyalty. While it’s well-known that Apple’s products and services create a high level of customer loyalty, Android actually enjoys the same. In fact, Android loyalty is actually higher than iOS with 91%.

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iOS
Android

Google’s first Android P release packs notch support, iOS-like quick toggles, more [Gallery]

Stephen Hall Mar 8 2018 - 8:39 am PT

Google launched the first Developer Preview for Android P yesterday, and while you can find extensive coverage of all of its features at 9to5Google, there are several features included that might feel familiar to iOS users. The new release packs support for iPhone X-style notches, a redesigned notifications menu with iOS-like quick settings toggles, and more.

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Concept: Imagining a more friendly and motivational Health app

Michael Steeber Mar 8 2018 - 8:14 am PT

The introduction of iOS 8 in 2014 brought the Health app to our iPhones and marked a milestone in Apple’s efforts to help people live healthier lives. The success of the Apple Watch in the following years brought a renewed consciousness to healthy living to millions of customers. Now that the Health app is turning into a critical tool for managing medical data, let’s take a look at how it could become even more friendly and motivating to a growing community.

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iOS Tip: How to quickly track flights on iPhone and iPad

Michael Potuck Mar 5 2018 - 1:53 pm PT

iOS 11 brought along some subtle changes that won’t wow users in and of themselves, but are really handy when needed. One of those features is native flight status tracking.

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